This invention relates to bottled beverage holding luggage, more particularly, bottled beverage holding luggage that permits a person to conveniently and safely transport a plurality of bottled beverages to and from one locality to another.
Currently, there exists a plethora of various styles and forms of luggage for a traveler, including expandable luggage, luggage having wheels thereon to permit easier transportation of the luggage, luggage having extendable handles, etc. However, these alternative forms and styles of luggage concentrate on re-designing the exterior of the luggage, rather than focusing on the interior compartment of the luggage.
Frequently, travelers desire to transport their own bottle(s) of wine, spirit, alcoholic beverages, drinks, etc. as they are uncertain whether their ultimate destination will have on supply their desired drink of choice. In addition, if the travelers transport their own beverages, they also save on expensive motel/hotel/resort fees associated with purchasing same. Finally, when traveling to other nations, oftentimes imported beverages, such as wine, have spent hours in the sun on a dock or in customs-controlled storage areas which lack proper climate control, thus resulting in the spoiling of the beverage which is ultimately purchased by the travelers.
During recent years, however, commercial airlines, steamship companies and other large-scale transportation systems have cracked-down on the amount and types of items carried onboard. For instance, there is a limit on the amount of any type of fluid a person may physically carry onboard a commercial airliner due to safety restrictions. Thus, many travelers oftentimes find themselves packing bottles of fluids in luggage that is to be examined by security and placed into the cargo area of the airplane. The traveler usually is very cautions in packing such bottle(s), wrapping each one in cloth or other protective means and carefully placing the bottle(s) in the center of the luggage, in order to prevent breakage of the bottle(s), which may be wine, spirits, alcoholic beverages or any other type of bottle(s) containing liquid. However, due to time constraints, oftentimes the security personnel are not cautious when searching through the luggage and disrupts the careful packaging of the bottle, thereby making it more susceptible to breakage. In addition, when a staff member is depositing the luggage into the cargo area, oftentimes the luggage is thrown onto a conveyer belt, thus possible breaking the bottle(s) inside the luggage. Finally, when the luggage is located in the cargo area, sometimes luggage is stacked onto one another, thereby creating another opportunity to break the bottle(s).
Furthermore, if the bottle(s) break, then the liquid contained therein is spilled onto the other items located in the luggage, such as clothing. Thus, not only is the bottle(s) ruined if it is broken in transit, but the contents of the luggage as well.
Not only does the aforementioned problem relate to the transportation of the bottle(s) from one local to another, but even if the bottle(s) reach the ultimate destination in tact, oftentimes a person may wish to replenish his/her supply at the ultimate destination, thereby once again risking damage or breakage to the newly supplied bottle(s) when traveling home.
Thus, a need exists for bottled beverage holding luggage that permits a person to conveniently and safely transport a plurality of bottled beverages to and from one locality to another.
The relevant prior art includes the following references:
U.S. Pat. No.(U.S. unless stated otherwise)InventorIssue/Publication Date6,561,328HuangMay 13, 20036,325,189King et al.Dec. 04, 20016,109,404BishopAug. 29, 20006,050,374JohnsonApr. 18, 20005,715,953BrownFeb. 10, 19985,219,072SauerJun. 15, 19934,546,883YoungdaleOct. 15, 19856,053,317Morris et al.Apr. 25, 20005,213,215PrevotMay 25, 1993